MCSA/E Certifications

Hello -

I'm new on this site and trying to get into the I.T. field. I have been reading and watching vids on youtube for the best way to get into i.T.
One of the points I came across was do not waste time on A+ (even though its lays the basic foundation) and work towards either CCNA or MCSA and eventually MCSE.

I'm considering going the MCSA/E route.

Just wanted to get some feedback if that sounds reasonable and worth it. Do NOT want to waste time busting my tail for one thing and it ends up being a waste of time.

Any suggestions/direction would be much appreciated. Also, resources to study for MCSA/E would be helpful.

Just trying to get foot in door even as a DT support and work towards cert's.

Thanks in advance.

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Comments

backtracker

I don't think you'll find too many people that agree a cert was not a good use of time. You gotta start somewhere and an A+ is not a bad place, it would provide some solid foundational knowledge to move forward with. If you've never taken any exams before it will give you an idea about the whole process and get you into a test taking mindset. Set yourself up for success and gain some confidence rather than having a bad experience- just a thought. Also take a look at an MTA level MS exam. If you find it easy then jump into an MCSA track that leads to an MCSE you want.

N7Valiant

Depends where you're at in your career. If you have no working IT experience, then an MCSA/E might not serve you well. Presumably if you're trying to get your foot in the door as Desktop Support, then that's where you're at.

The A+ might help get your foot in the door. I'm currently studying MCSA Windows Server 2016, it's no joke. I doubt any of the other ones are much easier. My impression from taking the "basic" CompTIA certs is that they really seem to be meant for people with first-hand experience in IT. It's doable if you're a good student, but even studying for the MCSA it felt like I really need to work on a copy of Windows Server 2016 to really swallow the knowledge.

Dojiscalper

N7Valiant wrote: »

Depends where you're at in your career. If you have no working IT experience, then an MCSA/E might not serve you well. Presumably if you're trying to get your foot in the door as Desktop Support, then that's where you're at.

The A+ might help get your foot in the door. I'm currently studying MCSA Windows Server 2016, it's no joke. I doubt any of the other ones are much easier. My impression from taking the "basic" CompTIA certs is that they really seem to be meant for people with first-hand experience in IT. It's doable if you're a good student, but even studying for the MCSA it felt like I really need to work on a copy of Windows Server 2016 to really swallow the knowledge.

I haven't looked into MCSA 2016 yet, but the 2012r2 version was designed with admins with 3-5 years of hands on experience in mind. This is a catch 22 in a lot of situations, but its the way things work.

Pseudonym

Only skip the A+ if you know most of the information contained in it. If it looks easy, leave it. If it doesn't, you should really do it.

Phalanx

It TENDS to be that Microsoft exams usually recommend experience in the field. Apart from the MTAs, perhaps. Keep that in mind.

poolmanjim

It all honestly depends on where you are in your career, as others have said, and where you want to go -- your passion.

If you have zero training, education, or experience in IT then the A+, Network+ and an MTA may be the perfect start for you. If you have a college degree (with an IT focus) or a couple of years of experience doing IT work in the work place you may be able to skip those (at least some) and pursue something more advanced. If someone interviewed with me who had 2 years on a help desk and no A+, I wouldn't bat an eye. If someone came to me with 5 years experience and they had just passed their A+, I'd raise an eyebrow at them as that is often an entry level cert.

What is your passion? The MCSA/E have several tracks that cover all kinds of technologies. Which one are you targeting? Additionally, are you interested in doing Microsoft work or are you thinking its just a way in the door? If you are only thinking the latter, you may want to consider what really interests you first.